Walking around People Square was a great way for Elena and
Pablo to practice their Mandarin. The lotus pond is beautiful, people are
relaxed and enjoy the views in the shade.
Several people came to us, asked us were we were from, took
pictures with Elena and Pablo. We had the opportunity to introduce ourselves
and make some small talk in Mandarin.
We met a 6-year old Chinese boy there, whose English given
name was “Bluesky”. He told us he is learning English by talking with travelers
in Shanghai. He even had a name card to introduce himself. We love the idea:
learning a language by practicing in the parks.
On a funny note, we discovered in People Square a gathering
of over a thousand parents. Each parent had a written page, usually taped on an
umbrella, with some information about their son or daughter. We were told it is
nowadays difficult for young adults to have the time to find a spouse with their
busy work schedule. Therefore, many parents in Shanghai do the legwork and go
to People Square, talk to each other about their children, with the goal of
setting up dates for them.
This is full service parenting!
